Mars

Blinking his eyes, Jamie said, "Wow, it feels like downtown Houston in there."

"The ozone will break down quickly enough," said Vosnesensky. "It becomes molecular oxygen. Harmless."

Sca

Vosnesensky pointed to the lowest shelf. "That is the quadruple device. The magnetic one is in the equipment module."

"This’ll do just fine." Jamie knelt down to pull the instrument from the shelf. The gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer analyzed the chemical composition of materials, virtually atom by atom. It was neatly packaged in a gray plastic casing, surprisingly light. The manufacturer’s logo identified it as Japanese.

"I want to monitor the levels of ozone in the airlock. See how it decomposes, what else the soil might be outgassing."

"Good," said Vosnesensky.

"I’ll set it up in the airlock and co

The Russian’s dark brows knitted slightly. "You are giving me orders? I am the commander."

Jamie was already starting to open the airlock hatch, the spectrometer in one arm resting on his hip. He glanced back over his shoulder at the cosmonaut.

"I give the orders, Yankee. You set up the GC/MS while I prepare our meal."

"Right, boss," said Jamie, laughing.

Joa

She had patched her lab computer into the base’s communications system so that she could see the excursion team’s report in some privacy. Jamie’s face looked serious yet happy. He was not really smiling, but there was an excitement in his eyes that she had never seen before as he described his day’s observations.

"This is where we should have landed," he was saying, looking out from the screen as if he knew his eyes would meet hers. "There’s moisture here and I’m willing to bet that the temperatures down at the bottom of the valley are significantly warmer than up here on the plain."

He went on, his eyes sparkling as he described the rock formations that looked to him so much like the adobe cliff dwellings of southwestern America.

"He’s a handsome red devil, isn’t he?"

Joa

"Jamie makes a strong case for studying the canyon," she said. "The chances for finding living organisms, or even the fossils of extinct species…"

Reed moved closer to her, pulled up the other stool, and straddled it. Gesturing toward the screen he said, "Our Indian friend seems to think he’s found the ruins of an ancient village. How preposterous."

Sudden anger flared within Joa

Reed’s smile widened. "I’m not a betting man, but I’d be willing to wager long odds that there are no ancient civilizations to be found on Mars."

"Yes, and a century and a half ago you would have bet that Schliema

"My, aren’t we fiery!" Reed laughed.

Joa

"You’re right, of course," Reed admitted easily. "One mustn’t jump to conclusions — either way."

Joa

"Jamie’s doing good work, isn’t he?" Reed asked rhetorically. "I’m glad we fought to get him onto the team."

"He is a great asset," Joa

"Much better than Hoffman would have been, although I wonder how DiNardo would have fared here."

"What do you mean?"

Leaning both his elbows on the lab bench behind him, Reed appeared as relaxed as if he were in a London pub. "Well, DiNardo has this enormous reputation, you know. If he had seen what Jamie’s seen out there at the Grand Canyon, I wonder if his prestige would have been big enough to get us to move the camp there."

"The entire base?"

Reed cocked his head slightly, sending a boyish lock of sandy hair over his forehead. "If Jamie’s right and the canyon is the best place to look for life, then we should at least set up a secondary camp there, don’t you think?"

Nodding slowly, Joa

"With that silly Japanese getting himself killed," Reed answered, "the mission controllers probably won’t allow us to do anything that’s even a millimeter off our official schedule."

"But the schedule was meant to be flexible! They ca

"You think not? I can’t help supposing, though, that if DiNardo were here we’d already be working out a plan to set up a camp on the floor of the canyon."

"That is what Jamie wants to do, is it not?"

"Rather. But he’s in trouble with his own politicos back in the States, you know, over this Navaho nonsense he said when we landed. I doubt that his recommendations would be accepted by the powers that be."

Joa

"I can speak to my father about it," she said. "I am sure he already knows about the possibility — or he will, as soon as today’s data reaches mission control."

"Yes, surely your father would be helpful. I was thinking more of DiNardo, though. If we can get his agreement that we should set up a secondary camp in the canyon, that would help enormously, I should think."

Joa

"Hardly," said Reed.

"I will contact him myself," Joa

"Yes, that’s the ticket."

"I will send a message now, this evening. Right away."

"Good show," said Reed. He straightened up and got off the stool. Leaning closer to Joa

"Oh, yes. Thank you. I am grateful for your help."

"Think nothing of it, dear lady."

But as he strolled casually away from the biology lab back toward his own cubicle, Reed thought: She’s hot for Jamie, that’s for certain. Now the game is to work things out so that he remains out there in the Grand Canyon and she stays here. A thousand kilometers or so between them ought to give me enough working room. I’ll have her, sooner or later. All I need is patience. And a little help, which she herself will provide. How nice!

He actually whistled, tunelessly, as he strode past the wardroom where most of the others sat huddled together, discussing the day’s events like a gaggle of schoolchildren. Reed ignored them and headed for his cot and his dreams.

Jamie and Vosnesensky sat in the rover’s cockpit as they made their evening report. Once they were finished with their official duty, Pete Co